The invention relates to an arm device for a milking parlor arrangement for the automatic milking of milk-producing animals according to the preamble of claim 1. The invention also relates to a divider of a milking parlor arrangement and to a milking parlor arrangement.
Such an arm device for a milking parlor arrangement is used for the mechanical or automatic milking of milk-producing animals. Such a device is also designated in general as a milking robot. Milk-producing animals are, for example, cows, goats, sheep etc. The milking parlor arrangement comprises milking parlors which are divided by dividers. The milking operation can be automated by means of the milking robot. Rotary milking parlors, for example, are used.
The term milking parlor arrangement is to be understood as arrangements of milking parlors, an angular position of an animal to be milked or an angular position of an imaginary longitudinal axis of an animal to be milked in a milking parlor with respect to a reference point or to a reference line being able to be between 0° and 90°. A pit or an area that is accessible by staff (e.g. working process) which is the area the milking staff occupy, is used, for example, as a reference point. The longitudinal side of a straight pit or a tangent of a circular pit is used, for example, as a reference line.
Milking parlor arrangements are, for example, movable and non-movable milking parlor arrangements. Movable milking parlor arrangements are, for example, rotary milking parlors as external milkers and internal milkers, both types with an arbitrary direction of rotation. So-called side-by-side milking parlors can also be realized as movable milking parlor arrangements. In addition, group milking parlors are also non-movable, such as, for example, herringbone milking parlors and tandem milking parlors. Said list is only provided as an example and is not limiting.
WO 2013/135842 A1 describes a divider of a milking parlor arrangement for at least one milking parlor for milking milk-producing animals. Various solutions for arm devices are specified.
The proposed solutions have proven their worth. Nevertheless, ever increasing demands in particular for high throughput figures and continuous operation in the case of today's milking robots, which are complicated and costly, require several milking parlors to be used in common. This can have a disadvantageous effect, among other things on account of the high level of complexity and a resultant high level of failure probability, on account of the intermittent operation and the areas that are off-limits to the staff (safety in the robot area). Raised demands for repeat accuracy and precision are reflected, in particular, in the costs.